One More Time
by Chibi Envy Chan
Summary: If you have a chance to change the past, would you take the risk everything? yaoi, yuri, lotsa swearing, eventual M rated fun...


Title: One More Time

Author: Chibi Envy Chan

Rating: M for later

Pairings: AGSZC, Tseng/Reno, Cid/Vincent, Cissnei/Elena, RudexTifa, KunselxAerith,

Warnings: Yaoi/Yuri and some het, man pile

Summary: If you have a chance to change the past, would you take the risk everything?

Notes: I should be working on my other stories, but I can't remember where I left off for Between Angels and Puppies or am uninspired.

This takes place after Dirge of Cerebus. Way after it.

There are many things that will be happening. I'll be keeping track of it in my notebook and in the end of each chapter.

Disclaimer: Chibi doesn't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the concepts related to the Final Fantasy franchise. She does, however, own her character, which is everyone you don't know.

Chapter One: Going Backwards

Even years after they stopped harvesting mako, the damage had been done. The planet was slowly dying. Without a transfusion of energy, she had no way of defending herself, relying on her weapons. Still they could do so much.

Within the lifestream, the cetra stirred. Something was coming, something evil. In the past, they defeated this evil, but that had been when they were at their strongest. This time, the planet was weakened due to the actions of one greedy corporation.

Aerith paced back and forth in the field of blooming flowers, her mother watching and Zack snoozing as usual. Sometimes she wished she could be like him so carefree. It might have to do something with the fact he couldn't sense the lifestream. He wouldn't know the impending danger they faced.

An old enemy.

"Honey, we'll think of a plan," Ilfana said though whether to assure her daughter or herself was questionable. She patted the empty space next to her, silently asking her to stop pacing.

This whole thing drove her nuts. Yes, she was the youngest and least experienced, but she had a fresh look, a new perspective. Why couldn't they take her seriously? She understood the gravity of the situation, and their records were extensive of the last time they encountered that.

"Pacing won't help," Ilfana whispered. Neither was sitting, but at least it wasn't making her dizzy.

"I know." Aerith wanted to yell or scream in frustration. By the time they decided on a course of action, it would be too late. That thing would have arrived and maybe destroyed half the place if not most. That or corrupt. The records were vague in some areas.

"Sorry, I wanted to do something, anything," Aerith said, coming close to kicking Zack's head. "This waiting is killing me, and I'm already dead."

Zack woke up to a pink shoe in his face. "Did I miss something? I swear I didn't do it!" He sat up straight before she could use his head for a soccer ball. As he yawned a loud one, he stretched out, avoiding Aerith.

"We're discussing how to prevent the end of the world."

"Mother!"

Ilfana didn't look ashamed. She shrugged her dainty shoulders. "He'll find out eventually. It's common knowledge or will be. I believe it will be harder to keep it a secret, and it's better for him to know what we're up against."

The former SOLDIER attempted to process all this information. "Waitamoment. Didn't Cloud take care of that bitch once and for all? I mean he annihilated her." He ran his hand through his spikey hair.

"Yes, he did, but this is worse than her. Gaia is in the process of recovering. She doesn't have many defenses left." The older cetra looked up into the sky. "We don't when they're coming or-"

"It doesn't matter. They can't make up their damned mind." Aerith blushed a bright red. She didn't like swearing or being angry, but her friends' lives were at stake. Her companions peeled their jaws off the ground.

"Wonderful," Zack gritted out. "Reminds me of certain 'admins.' And no I'm not saying who except they're tubs of lard… well most of them. They're useless unless you count using them as cannon fodder or bowling balls." To thin he had a nice dream about a certain blond. He stood up before starting his squats. They helped him calm down when he was alive so they should work.

In spite of her anger, Aerith couldn't help but giggle. Puppy came into mind. Not too long ago, she had a nice conversation with Angeal. Now that she thought about it, the name did fit.

"Do we know what we're going up against?" Zack asked. He liked fighting physical entities. They were easier to defeat with his two hands.

Both of them nodded their heads.

"We weren't around when they first attacked, but I do know of a few who were," Ilfana informed him with a shake of her head. "Too bad they're on the council and hard to convince. We have records of it too!"

"So what is it?" Zack paused in his squats.

"We're not sure of it," Aerith sighed and played with a flower, caressing its petals. "Some call it darkness, some call it chaos, and some call it pure evil. The records state it's something that can't be explained and that it has a sentient mind. It can think and learn."

"Great," the former SOLDIER said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Do we know how to deal with it?" He received a nod. "So why aren't we executing it."

"It's one thing to know and another to be able," Aerith whispered as if she was afraid to tell him. "We know, but we don't have the resources. If it had been before ShinRa, we would have stood more than a chance, but…"

"It's not possible at this point," Zack finished off for her. He swore. "So we have to be creative. Do we have anything?"

Ilfana shook her head. "No, we don't. They're being stubborn. You know how it is. Too many people think they have the best answer, and no one willing to yield."

"Great. Too bad this isn't a game," Zack muttered. He liked playing them. When he received confused stares, he answered them. "You have more than one chance, and there are cheat codes. I mean if you didn't like the outcome, you can always go back to your saved point and start all over again."

Aerith blinked several times. "Zack, you're a genius."

Zack almost fell over when he restarted his squats. "I am?"

"Yes," Aerith said, unable to contain her excitement. Zack must be rubbing off on her. "Why didn't I think of it? It's so simple and…" Her voice trailed off.

Ilfana's face hardened. "If it's what I thin, it's impossible."

"Just because there are no records of a successful attempt, doesn't mean it can be done. It's better than waiting."

"It's more than that." The older cetra shook her head.

"We don't have many choices or time."

"This may make the problem worse."

"Better than doing nothing."

Zack looked back and forth between the two women. "For the clueless me, would someone care to explain what you're all talking about?"

"Time travel," Aerith answered. They could do it. The cetra had enough energy send back one person. "There are records of it, but we don't know if they were successful."

"Which is why I'm against it. Our only weapon won't… it will be rough on him," Ilfana said in attempt to reason with her daughter. It would kill her to see him go through the pain after all he had done for them.

The word weapon piqued his interest. "What kind of weapon?"

Aerith hesitated. She glanced over at her mother, unsure on whether or not to inform Zack. The two had a close relationship. She suspected it was more. "It's more on who."

Ilfana moved to stand next to her daughter. "He has a right to know. If I were in his shoes, I would."

"Want to know what?" Zack didn't like secrets. Everyone knew it.

"Cloud Strife."

"What about my little chocobo?" Zack tilted his head, reminding them of a curious puppy. He hoped Cloud wasn't in any serious trouble.

"Weapon, he's the last weapon," Aerith said after some more hesitation. She wanted to spare him the pain, but they didn't have much of a choice. Did they?"

"What? You can't send him. I won't allow it," Zack whined, loud enough for Angeal to hear it, and he wasn't even close by. "He'll break. Not physically but mentally. You saw him. He was on the verge. He can't handle it." _And I can't either._

Aerith placed her small hand on his shoulder. "I know. I'll suggest someone else. No, demand."

"You'll need to find an alternate." Ilfana couldn't believe what she was saying.

"I'll go!" Zack jumped up and down, flailing. "I'll go! I'll go!" He landed on his face. "Owwww."

This was their soon to be savior? Ilfana pinched the bridge of her nose. He would have to do. "They are still debating if it's anything like the last time."

Zack peeled himself off the ground. "If they're still at it, then why are you two here? I mean this is the fate of the planet. I think." He jumped to his feet.

"Idiot induced migrate."

"I was tempted to show them my experience in Avalanche."

"Right. Let's get going!"

Border~!

"Useless idiots, the lot of them," Zack grumbled stomping away from the meeting room. "Can't believe they're in charge."

"I can't believe it took a threat from him to make them even consider it," Aerith said, following the former SOLDIER. "I'm glad he's sane for the most part." She forgave him for stabbing her a long time ago and told him to stop apologizing. It was Cloud all over except with long silver hair and taller.

Zack scoffed. "At least he has his insanity as an excuse. Gotta admit that was pretty cool what he did." He thought of their terrified response to his threats.

"It wasn't nice of him, but… it's better than what I had in mind," Ilfana said in an off handed manner. She walked next to her daughter. "You'd think I'd understand how to deal with them after all this time."

The former SOLDIER shrugged. "Who knows? Hey anyone know why Sephy stayed behind? I mean there isn't a reason or something."

"Your guess is good as mine," the elder cetra answered.

While he didn't trust the guy, Zack had to admit, it was the first time he had seen the fomer general sane in a long time. "I suppose it's a good thing he doesn't have his sword. Oh right he **IS** a living weapon. Um… I mean dead weapon. You know what I mean." He pouted when he heard the ladies giggling.

"We know," Aerith said with a smile. She knew how his mind worked for the most part. A loud slam interrupted their thoughts.

The three stopped and turned to hear approaching footsteps. Whatever it was, they didn't bother to be discreet. It sounded more on stomping as if someone was trying to squish bugs and several of them.

Black and silver came into view. Sephiroth looked like he was going to not only strangle someone but eviscerate, maim, skewer, flambé, and roast that person. He turned his attention to the older cetra. "I can't see how you could possibly stay sane after dealing with those incompetent fools."

"Practice and dealing with them as little as possible," she replied. "Oh and I find throwing darts at their pictures helps." She didn't bother to hide her impish smile.

"Hmmm, I may have to try that. Do they have knives up here?" Darts were good for women, but Sephiroth wouldn't settle for anything less than a dagger.

"Erm, I haven't seen any around since I've been here," Ilfana said, tilting her head. She glanced over at her two companions, who both shrugged. "I'm sure there's something. If not, who said we can't make them? We're not going anywhere."

"Yet," Zack corrected. If everything went according to plan, he'd be sent to the past and fix everything or so he hoped. Seeing Cloud happy would make it worth while. "So what do we do until their laziness decide on something?"

Aerith giggled and gave Zack a playful swat while Sephiroth gave him that look whenever he was an idiot. "Let's do arts and crafts."

"Are we children?" Sephiroth queried before glancing over to the dark haired man. "Okay, I stand corrected. There is a child in our company." He ignored said child's indignant yelps.

"Or we can go Cloud watching," Aerith suggested. Even though they had a danger looming overhead, they couldn't do anything, which frustrated them to no ends. Thus, the four were reduced to entertaining themselves until a decision had been reached.

"Des this watching have any restrictons?" Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest.

"No," Ilfana said, having been there the longest. "Why?"

Zack's jaw dropped. He never pegged Sephiroth as a pervert or a peeping Tom. "If you wanna see Tifa's um… endowments, you'll have to wait. I don't think Spikey sees her that way. Well not yet anyways."

A silver brow rose. "Who said I'm interested in seeing her assets? I'm more interested in Cloud's."

Jaws dropped and three pairs of eyes stared at Sephiroth.

"I think we should pass on Cloud watching," Zack growled. He stormed off and reached a door when he realized he needed to keep an eye on Sephiroth, who seemed to be amused. "Someone needs to keep an eye on you."

"Oh really? I thought it was the other way around," the silver haired man said. They didn't call him 'Puppy' for nothing.

Commence the whining.

Border~!

"I can't believe they agreed to this," Zack said, slamming his fist into his palm. "I suppose miracles do happen and does Sephy have his 'knife' collection?" Mako eyes darted around to find any flashes or traces of silver.

Aerith shook nodded her head. "The last time I saw him, he was throwing knives at those pictures. Mother watched."

Zack let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. "Good. Hey, when I go back, will I have a weapon or something? I mean I don't have a weapon. Well I don't have it until Angeal… you know."

The cetra shook her head and placed her hand on his arm. "I know what happened. We're not sending you unarmed, and you'll have the same amount of mako as you do now."

This confused one blinked several times. "Is that even possible? Oh right. What weapon are you sending with me?"

"It's not the Buster sword but similar. We want to send you with a familiar weapon," Aerith said. She raised her hands, palms facing up. A large broadsword appeared, hovering over her hands. It was beautiful.

Zack ran a finger across the blade, whistling in appreciation. "She's beautiful. Wait, how am I going to carry this around? Wouldn't want to draw any attention." _Especially Hojo's. _"I mean if I'm sent back when I'm a first class it shouldn't be a problem. When am I being sent back?"

"You're going back to when you made second class. Cloud should have entered the SOLDIER training program," Aerith answered. Seconds later, the sword disappeared. "It's with you at all times."

"Where?"

"Pretend you're holding your sword," Aerith directed. "Then imagine the sword in your hand." When the sword appeared in his hand, she smiled. "To put it back, imagine yourself placing it away."

The sword vanished, a green mist in its wake. Where did it go? Zack spun around in circles much like a dog.

Aerith giggled. "It's within you."

Zack went cross-eyed for some reason or another. He gave up. "Do I have an ugly tattoo or something? 'Cause 'Geal would have my head. He doesn't see the point in them."

"You can always strip and look," Aerith giggled which turned into hysterical laughing when Zack turned a bright shade of red. "You're so easy to tease. No wonder why they like doing it."

This resulted in Zack whining like no tomorrow.

"Before they change their minds, let's get you going," she said and shoved a large back in his hands. "It's things you'll need: materia, PHS, navigation system, and cures for degeneration. Make sure you give the correct one." Each cure had their respective names on them.

The former first class raised a brow. "How am I supposed to convince them to use it? I mean it's not like I can say 'Stick this strange stuff in you and you'll be saved from degenerating. Oh I don't know how it works or what's in it.' It's not going to fly with them. Genesis may be insane, but he's not stupid."

Smiling she placed a hand on his arm again. "I' sure you'll find a way. It's hard to say no to you. Just behave like a puppy, and you'll win them over."

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Zack whined before blushing. He threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine. You win this time."

"Now get going." Aerith swatted him on his rear, causing him to squawk and glare at her though he couldn't hold it for long.

"Zack, I'm sorry."

Zack turned around. "It's okay, 'Geal. I forgave ya a long time ago, and I will make sure it doesn't happen again." He gave a two finger salute before jumping into the pond.

"I hope he succeeds," Aerith said, "for all our sakes."

"I do too," Angeal said, nodding his head.


End file.
